Comet Hyakutake (, formally designated
C/1996 B2) is a
comet, discovered on 31 January 1996, that passed very close to Earth in March of that year. It was dubbed
The Great Comet of 1996; its passage near the Earth was one of the closest cometary approaches of the previous 200 years. Hyakutake appeared very bright in the night sky and was widely seen around the world. The comet temporarily upstaged the much anticipated
Comet Hale–Bopp, which was approaching the inner
Solar System at the time.